Hebrew media revealed a leaked recording from a Knesset meeting in which Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told the families of detainees in the Gaza Strip that he could not promise to return them all alive.
Hebrew media reported that the Israeli Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, told the families of detainees in the Gaza Strip, in a statement considered the first of its kind, that he could not promise to return all of their children alive.
The newspaper "Israel Hayom" said on Wednesday that Smotrich's statements came in the room of the "Religious Zionism" party bloc that he heads in the Knesset, where he was meeting with the families of the detainees, last Monday.
She explained that the conversation touched on military operations in Gaza as well as "the difficult dilemmas surrounding the release of the kidnapped."
The newspaper published a leaked recording of the meeting, in which Smotrich was heard telling the families: “I cannot promise you that I will return all the kidnapped people alive to their homes.”
The newspaper noted that this is the first statement of its kind by a minister in the Israeli government.
"I don't know how to commit to that," Smotrich added. "I can't make a commitment. Look at anyone and tell them I will bring your son back alive."
He continued: "What I can say is that I will do my best to return them. I will do everything, but keeping in mind the interests of Israel, our security, and our existence for many years to come."
During the past weeks, Israelis have escalated their pressure on the Israeli government, through continuous demonstrations to conclude a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, on Monday, that there is an Israeli offer to reach an agreement with the Palestinian factions in Gaza, without revealing its details.
Israel estimates that there are about “136 hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip,” according to identical media reports and statements by Israeli officials.
After the American bombing, the Iraqi parliament demands the government to remove foreign forces
The Iraqi House of Representatives condemned the American bombing of Babylon and Anbar, calling on the government to implement its decision to completely remove foreign forces from the country, explaining that their presence threatens the security and stability of Iraq and the safety of its people.
On Wednesday, the Presidency of the Iraqi Council of Representatives issued a statement condemning the American “attack” on security headquarters in the Babylon and Anbar governorates, calling on the government to implement its decision to remove foreign forces from the country.
The Council Presidency stated in the statement published by the official news agency that it "condemns the American attack on the security headquarters in Babylon and Anbar."
It expressed its "strong condemnation of the continued blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty, and the lack of respect for international and bilateral charters and agreements by the United States of America."
At dawn on Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that his forces had bombed “three facilities belonging to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq,” and described the attacks as “necessary” and “proportionate.”
The statement called on the Iraqi government to "accelerate the implementation of the House of Representatives' decision to completely remove foreign forces from the country, whose presence threatens the security and stability of Iraq and the safety of its people."
He pointed out that "laxity in implementing the decision is a clear violation of legislation and popular will," stressing that "Iraq's sovereignty and the blood of its people are a red line that cannot be allowed to be violated."
On January 5, 2020, the Iraqi Parliament ratified a resolution obligating the government to work to end the presence of any foreign forces on Iraqi soil.
The decision came after the assassination of the head of the Iranian Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, along with eight others.
Last December, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani confirmed that his country was moving towards ending the presence of the international coalition in the country, led by Washington, days after American strikes that Baghdad considered “hostile and a violation of sovereignty” on Iraqi sites.
The White House previously announced on December 26 that the US army targeted 3 facilities belonging to the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq, in response to an attack that hit an international coalition military base.